Sunday, 9 February 2014

The Suit : A Suit is the Gentleman

-by Vikram Nanjappa for Stylefluid Trendz

The
Suit

The suit is considered by
many to be an essential part of a gentleman’s wardrobe. I, however, disagree. In my opinion a suit is
‘the’ gentleman. A man’s suit and the way he wears it tells you a lot about the
individual. It is the defining garment that separates the men from the boys.
However there are suits and then there are suits. And thus the question arises
– what makes a suit a suit? One word sums it up – the fit.

Types of Suits

The above caption could be
considered by some to be a bit of a misnomer. I am not about to embark on a
lengthy explanation on the various styles of suits i.e. single breasted vs.
double breasted etc for that merits an article by itself . I am, instead going
to focus on the three separate methods that are followed in the actual making
of a suit; these methods play a key role in getting a perfect fit, which is the
essence of a good suit. These are terms that are, unfortunately, banded about
very carelessly by shop assistants who should, in a perfect word, be more
knowledgeable. This holds true especially for the last two. I am referring to
the terms – Ready to Wear, Made to Measure and Bespoke. A good understanding of
these terms will allow you to achieve that perfect fit and also avoid falling for
the glib talk of a shop assistant.

Ready to Wear

Ready to Wear

This is the most commonly
available suit on the market and probably the most affordable. Walk into any
shop, even of the best designers, and you will find a fairly large selection to
choose from. A ready to wear suit is made to fit the body dimensions of a
hypothetical standard man. Such suits are usually sized by chest diameter and
follow a standard set of measurements. For example a 44 inch size suit usually
follows the following standard measurements. 46 inches diameter under the
armpit , sleeve length of 24.5 to 25.5 inches , 31 to 33 inches from the top of
the collar to the bottom of the coat , a 38 inch waist trouser ( called a 6
inch drop because chest measurements are usually 6 inches larger than the waist
measurements ) , and an inseam length of 31 inches. Even these measurements
differ from country to country and even from make to make. A 44 inch suit from
one manufacturer will differ from a 44 inch suit from another manufacturer.

It should therefore come
as no surprise that these ready to wear suits rarely fit the wearer well. These
standard measurements are derived to be able to accommodate the maximum number
of people, most people will fit into these suits but the suit will never fit most
people. However one should not discount these suits straight away. The key to
making a ready to wear suit work for you is to find a good alteration tailor.
Many people make the mistake of assuming that any tailor can make alterations.
Alteration is an art by itself and a good tailor does not a good alteration
tailor make! However an alteration tailor, even the best, is not god. They
cannot perform miracles. It is essential that the ready to wear suit fits you
perfectly across the shoulders and chest. Sleeve lengths, hems, waists etc can
be tackled. Another very important point to keep in mind – it is easier to take
in than let out, besides most ready to wear suits will not have sufficient
fabric to allow you to let out. Therefore if you opt for a ready to wear suit
ensure that it fits across the shoulders and chest and is not tight in other
places. A good alteration tailor should be able to handle the rest quite
easily.

Made to Measure

Made to Measure

A Made to Measure suit
allows the buyer a certain degree of customization thus allowing him to obtain
a good fit. There are two types of made to measure suits that are available or
rather two methods that are employed in the made to measure segment.

In the first, the suit is
already made in the factory in such a fashion that allowances are incorporated
for small adjustments to be made to the semi finished product. These allowances
are typically for sleeve length, waist size and trouser length. Usually
allowances for coat lengths are not included because the balance of the coat is
affected once the pockets are cut (a point to be noted when buying a ready to
wear suit). In-house alteration tailors will the take your measurements and
finish the suit as per your measurements and as far as the allowances
incorporated allow.

In the second instance,
your measurements are taken by a tailor and sent across to the factory where
small adjustments will be made to a generic pattern. These generic patterns
will be displayed at the shop for you to choose from. However all suits are
made from the same generic pattern and these cannot be adjusted for finer
details like choice of lapels, number of buttons etc. This is equally
applicable to the first method.

Made to Measure can be
considered a step up from Ready to Wear so far as it allows you to make small
adjustments easily without the additional bother of finding a good alteration
tailor. The fit will definitely be far better than a ready to wear suit. These
suits are usually priced higher than the ready to wear suits for this reason.

Bespoke

Bespoke is the gold standard.
A true bespoke suit is custom made for you. You have total control from the
choice of fabric, type of lining; the style and most importantly are cut to
your own unique measurements. A true bespoke suit will fit only one person in
the world – you. Please note that I use the term True Bespoke even though the
heading is Bespoke. Unlike Haute Couture, Bespoke is not a ‘protected name’
that can be used only by those who meet specific well defined standards. As a
result a lot of people misuse the term, even going as far as passing off Made
to Measure as Bespoke! True Bespoke is therefore reserved for those who follow
the time tested and traditional approach to suit making. It is therefore
essential to know what exactly this unique approach is.

Cutting a paper pattern

In the first place several
artisans are involved in the process. I use the word artisan as each is a
master of his trade – a unique form of specialization. All of them working
together to create the perfect suit for you. The Cutter deals with the customer directly.
He will take the measurements, draw the pattern and cut the material. The
Tailor will sew the cut material together; he will sew in the canvas and
horsehair and will steam it with a hot iron to enable the two – dimensional
cloth to conform to our three – dimensional bodies. The Trouser-maker will make
the trousers for the suit and in the case of three- piece suits; the Vest-maker
will make the waistcoat.

Cutter in action

Let us start with the
Cutter. He will take precise measurements, 30 is not unusual and some will take
up to 50! How many of us realise that our arms are of different lengths? Or
that the drop and curve of our shoulders are different? The Cutter is trained to
note the symmetry of our bodies and how we stand. They use acronyms to describe
our stance, my favourite being SLBCH – Stands like a bloody cart horse!

Cutter using a paper pattern

Once the cutter finishes
with your measurements he will cut a specific pattern in brown paper as per
your exact measurements. Each cutter has his own system to do this, as per his
training, and this is called the tailoring system. After the cutter is
satisfied with the paper pattern, the material chosen is cut and simply
stitched into what is called a basted suit for the fittings.

Skeleton fit in progress

There will be a minimum of
three separate fittings and more if so required. The first of these is called
the skeleton fit. The cut material is stitched together with white basting
thread and is thus called a basted suit. The Cutter will assess how the initial
cut fits the customer’s body and make the initial adjustments. It is during
this fitting that decisions regarding button stance, external pockets are made
as everything can be adjusted.

The second fitting is
known as the forward fitting. By this time most of the major construction of
the suit is complete except for the collar and sleeves. The Cutter and the
customer will be able to see the drape of the material and necessary adjustments
to the same are marked using tailors chalk. This allows the cutter to
communicate with the tailor as to exactly where and how much he wants him to
take in or let out. During this fitting the lay of the cloth and how it should
be coaxed to fit three- dimensionally is observed by the cutter. He will then
take the suit apart and if adjustments to the pattern are required then it will
be first made to the paper pattern and then to the suit.

The third and usually the last fitting is
known as fin bar fin or the finish fitting. The suit is completely finished
except for the sleeve length. The cutter sees how the suit fits and makes minor
adjustments and also finalises the sleeve length.

The suit is completed
after this and will fit only you, perfectly!

Trouser maker doing a fitting

A true bespoke suit gives
you total control and everything can be specified. These include the material ,
length of the coat , width of the lapel , type of lapel , placement of the
lapel notch , button number and stance , number of pockets ( external and
internal) , canvas , padding and linings or their absence . The length of the
crutch measurement, the placement of buttons, brace buttons, belt loops etc can
be specified for the trouser.

True bespoke tailors are,
unfortunately, a dying breed in India. Most of the so called bespoke tailors
fall somewhere in between Made to Measure and True Bespoke.

What to Look for in a Suit

Now that we have broadly (I
say broadly as there is a lot more to true bespoke) covered the three types of
suits we should feel confident that we know enough to get ourselves a good
suit. But do we really? It is one thing to know a little bit about how they can
be made to ensure that we get a good fit but what exactly is a good fit? How
should a suit fit? While this is a very subjective question I will try and
break it down by listing out the things to look out for in a good suit.

Size
– the correct one

It
is estimated that 80% of men chose a size that is too large for them. And that,
I believe, is a conservative estimate. If you wear the wrong size then you
might as well wear a sack or tights for that matter. This can be extremely
tricky in the Ready to Wear segment as the shop assistant will rarely
contradict your choice – after all he has to make a sale. In the Made to
Measure and Bespoke segment it is best not to argue with the alteration tailor
or cutter as the case may be. Going by the above statistic it should be best to
take one size smaller than the one you initially choose. The best bet would be
for you to take the opinion of your wife or girlfriend.

Collar
Gap

This
refers to the gap between the suit collar and the shirt collar. There should be
no gap. When you wear your suit jacket it should sit on your shirt collar perfectly,
there should not be any gap between them.

Collar Gap

Shoulder
Line

The
shoulders are the foundation of the suit, everything else flows from it. A
clean shoulder line is a must. There should be no bunching or folding of
material at the shoulder. It should look clean, neat and perfect.

Bad Shoulder Line (L) vs Good Shoulder Line (R)

Coat
Button Tension

When
you button your coat jacket, tension is created on the fabric at the button.
Too much or too little button tension denotes an improper fit. When the coat
button is fastened a slight amount of tension should be created i.e. a small
amount of fabric should be seen tugging. Be careful that an ‘X’ shaped tug is
not visible when you button your coat. Your closed button being at the
intersection of the said ‘X’.

Bad Button Tension(L) vs Good Button Tension(R)

The
Back

This
is one part of the suit that is not visible to you and is usually neglected.
The back of the suit should fit the shape of your body as well as the front of
your suit. It should be clean, correctly cut and tailored. Make sure there is
no bunching of material where your back meets your collar and near your arm
holes.

Bad Back Fit(L) vs Good Back Fit(R)

Lengths

The
correct lengths are very important. Any deviations make a suit look extremely
sloppy regardless of how the other features fit. There are various lengths that
one should be aware of.

Coat
Sleeve – The coat sleeve should end at the wrist bone and half inch of shirt
sleeve should be exposed.

The
length of the coat should just about cover the seat of the pants.

The
trousers should be long enough to create a slight ‘break ‘at the shoes without
bunching up or they can be marginally shorter to avoid the ‘break’ without
exposing your socks.

Good Sleeve Length

Short Coat Length (L) vs Perfect Coat Length (R)

Excessive Trouser Break (L) vs Accurate Trouser Break (R)

Trouser Break

Basted Suit (L) vs Completed Suit (R)

Details

Attention
to detail is a must. That said there are a few details that you should pay more
attention to as they affect the overall visual form of the suit. These are –
the number , position and quality of the buttons , the type , size and
placements of pockets and when it come to the lapels one should look at the
positioning of the notch , the angle of the lapel line and the amount of your
chest that is shown.

Clothing
is a matter of personal choice and the suit is no exception. The suit, like all
garments, has evolved over time and continues to do so. However whatever may be
the style of suit that is currently in fashion or which your personal favourite
is certain elements remain constant in their essence. It does not really matter
if a suit is Ready to Wear, Made to Measure or Bespoke, what is essential is
that it should fit you properly. At the end of the day if your suit does not
fit it will not look nice, regardless of how expensive it is. And as they say
‘First learn the rules and then break them.’

(About the author: *Vikram Nanjappa is a freelance writer on men’s
fashion/style and a photographer)